State workers get $516M in bonus pay

SACRAMENTO - Many California state employees received a pay boost this year after complaining of furloughs and salary cuts during the recession.

But even as their unions were criticizing the unpaid days off, thousands of state workers continued to collect hundreds of millions of dollars a year in contractually negotiated bonuses and other types of extra payments, on top of overtime and regular pay raises.

A review of state payroll records by The Associated Press found the total cost reached $516 million in 2012, up from $373 million in 2008. The average payout in 2012 was $5,382 per employee, a 39 percent increase from five years earlier.

The special pay is money awarded for such things as obtaining a credential, driving the office carpool, working on deadline or even just sticking around.